Results 6,261-6,280 of 7,643 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: It is the complaint that I have put to the chief executive from people involved in the industry who happen to be smaller players. I do not know how independent anybody is in this situation. Since HRI itself owns racecourses, who is independent? I put it to the chief executive that we need an independent review of the data rights element of the package being negotiated as HRI is in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: What is the difference?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: Is Ms Eade willing to go ahead with a review?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: I thank Ms Eade for her answers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: I thank the HRI representatives for their answers. They are facing questions on a diverse range of issues. To return to what HRI said it was willing to facilitate, I put it to the witnesses that there is a bit of a PR problem at some of the smaller racecourses and that there is an expectation that they should not be aggrieved in a situation like this. Can we get some action on HRI and AIR...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: HRI said it was open to this in 2016. It would be helpful if there were some action on that. There is something bothering me. Ms Eade acknowledged the progress that has been made and spoke about HRI's synergies and work with the IHRB. She praised the proposed changes to its board. HRI is the funding organisation for the IHRB. It remains the case that it is a closed shop in respect of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: It is a long way from a majority of independent people on the board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: The IHRB is responsible for integrity in racing. There is potential for vested interests and people looking the other way. I am not saying that is happening in any individual case but this is all about perception. If you are looking at what is going on with regard to anti-doping bodies internationally, you will see that there is usually a majority of expert outsiders.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: Let us be clear that I am not making accusations against anybody but someone who was previously the chairperson of the IHRB, and perhaps still is, sold a yearling for €1.3 million or so. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that but I put it to Ms Eade that the way to assuage the concerns of people who are worried about allegations about doping in horse racing is to have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: When asked why there was not necessarily and automatically an investigation into people who had been convicted for criminal offences, the IHRB previously said, at one point, that it was its job to look at breaches of the rules rather than convictions. Of course, the reality is that action has been taken when jockeys were convicted for cocaine offences and so on. My problem is that when a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: The Mr. Hayes case, which is on the public record, involves a conviction for animal welfare issues. Did the IHRB take action on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: Is Mr. Osborne telling me that if there is a conviction for an animal welfare issue, sooner or later the IHRB will initiate a process of its own?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: That would be perfectly reasonable if it were the only reason the IHRB would not take institutional action. Is Mr. Osborne confident there has not been a case, a concluded issue in the courts, relative to animal welfare that did not result in the IHRB also taking disciplinary action?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: We can wait for the answer to that because it is an important question. I have received correspondence from people who are concerned about animals.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: Is it obligatory on the IHRB to conduct such a process, sooner or later, when it is established that a conviction stands?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: It is more than that; it is protecting animal welfare. Surely there is a higher duty?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: Ultimately, Horse Racing Ireland is the paymaster. It is fine to say it will work closely with the IHRB, it is great to have co-operation with it and HRI approves of all the good things it is now doing, but there has to be more than that if the IHRB is still falling short.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: I know of no such body that enjoys such independence while being composed of a completely closed shop of directors. The quid pro quo from independence is that there are appointees of board directors from different places, especially by the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: The IHRB is not doing its job right in the court of public opinion or any other reasonable assessment. Let us say that animal welfare issues are not being relentlessly pursued by the board in certain cases. I know we are talking hypothetically but I will need to go back and check the information I was given about past cases-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Priorities for Horse Racing Ireland: Discussion (15 Jun 2022)

Rónán Mullen: Ms Eade could go another seven years like Uachtaráin na hÉireann.